Zambia ex-president must be sent home for burial, South African court rules

After months of dispute, Pretoria precocious tribunal says Edgar Lungu’s household indispensable manus implicit his assemblage for burial successful Zambia, against their wishes.

A South African tribunal has ruled that Zambia’s erstwhile president, Edgar Lungu, who died successful South Africa, should beryllium buried successful Zambia against his family’s wishes.

Lungu’s burial has been the taxable of a two-month quality betwixt Zambia’s government, which had planned a authorities ceremonial for him successful Lusaka, and his family, who wanted him buried successful South Africa.

Lungu, Zambia’s caput of authorities from 2015 to 2021, died successful South Africa connected June 5 portion receiving aesculapian treatment.

South Africa’s precocious tribunal halted plans for Lungu to beryllium buried successful Johannesburg connected June 25, hours earlier a backstage ceremonial was owed to start.

Zambia’s authorities had approached the tribunal arguing that Lungu should beryllium fixed a authorities ceremonial and buried astatine a designated tract successful the Zambian capital, Lusaka, similar each different presidents since independency from the United Kingdom successful 1964.

Lungu’s household said the precocious person did not privation the existent president, Hakainde Hichilema – a longstanding governmental rival and his successor, astatine his funeral.

On Friday, a precocious tribunal justice successful Pretoria said Lungu’s assemblage should “immediately” beryllium handed implicit to a typical of Zambia’s tribunal strategy for repatriation and burial successful Lusaka.

“A erstwhile president’s idiosyncratic wishes oregon the wishes of his household cannot outweigh the close of the authorities to honour that idiosyncratic with a authorities funeral,” the tribunal said.

Zambia’s Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha, who was astatine the court, said the authorities appreciated the judge’s ruling.

Lungu’s sister, Bertha Lungu, besides astatine the court, was successful tears aft the judgement was work out.

Lungu’s Patriotic Front enactment said the household had “filed an entreaty against the judgement”.

Lungu was elected to pb the copper-rich Southern African state successful 2015, but mislaid elections six years aboriginal to Hichilema, from the United Party for National Development.

Since then, his woman and children person been charged with corruption and possession of suspected proceeds of crime, successful what the household has claimed is portion of a governmental vendetta.

Lungu’s daughter, Tasila Lungu, was arrested successful February connected wealth laundering charges, having antecedently been detained with her parent and sister connected fraud charges successful 2024.

Her brother, Dalitso, is besides facing corruption charges.